


Heroes & Martyrs

by meoqie



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-The Blood of Olympus, Walks the thin line between friendship and flirting, talking about death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 08:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14016495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meoqie/pseuds/meoqie
Summary: Sometimes a smile and a calm demeanor is a facade to hide what someone is really thinking. And sometimes you really need to hug it out if you ever want to process your past trauma.Nico and Will talk about the inevitability of death and having the weight of a life on your hands.





	Heroes & Martyrs

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this in January of 2016, decided it wasn't long enough to post but didn't have any ideas for how to continue it, and just abandoned it to die in my Google docs.
> 
> Clearing out my WIPs recently I rediscovered it and realized I still love this interaction, so I brushed the dust off, tweaked it a bit, and as I no longer care about whether something is 'long enough' to post, I'm finally sharing it here.

Will had promised he’d come and tell him when the bandages on his upper arms would be able to come off, but dammit, they itched and Nico wanted them off now. 

 

And of course, because the universe seemed to know that Nico had an unreasonable request to ask of him, Will Solace was nowhere to be found. 

 

It was late afternoon by the time Nico finally came across him, the setting sun painting the world rose gold.

 

“This is kind of the last place I expected to find you,” Nico said softly.

 

Will didn't jump or flinch the way most people did when Nico appeared unexpectedly. His focus was entirely on the bow in his hands and the target in front of him.

 

Moments later a soft ‘thwack’ announced the arrow finding the dead center of the target.

 

“Thought you said archery wasn’t your thing,” Nico commented, arching an eyebrow.

 

Will sighed and set the bow down, turning to face him.

 

“You were looking for me?” he asked hopefully.

 

Nico couldn’t hold back a small smile. “Yes, I was. But you’re avoiding the topic. Now, I know it’s not really my area of expertise, but that definitely looked like archery.”

 

Will swung the quiver off his shoulder and sat down on the grass, patting the ground beside him.

 

Nico folded his legs underneath him as he sat, looking at Will expectantly.

 

“It’s different, here,” Will murmured. “It’s quiet and peaceful and I can actually concentrate, and it definitely helps that the targets aren’t moving. In battle… it’s like I freeze up. I can barely notch an arrow, let alone actually aim.”

 

“Is it because of your brothers?” Nico asked quietly.

 

That did get Will to flinch.

 

“Probably,” he admitted, staring at the grass as he carded his fingers through it. “Psychiatry isn’t really my field but trauma, triggers, blah blah blah, it would certainly make sense.”

 

Nico didn’t really understand any of that, but he nodded anyway.

 

“Every child of Apollo has some precognitive ability,” Will continued, tugging up some of the grass. “Usually not enough to be useful, a five second warning at most. It’s rare for me to have a moment where I know what’s going to happen, but when I do it’s about something serious. I… I foresaw both of their deaths. I still have nightmares about it. I’ve never been able to shake the thought that maybe I could have done something to prevent it.”

 

“They made their choices knowing how dangerous it was,” he told Will, lightly placing a hand on his arm. “It wasn’t your fault. They think you’re doing an excellent job as head camper, by the way.”

 

To Nico’s shock, Will immediately burst into tears. He had no idea how to handle crying. Should he try to comfort him? Leave him alone?

 

“Um,” he began, awkwardly.

 

“I always feel like everyone is comparing me to them, you know?” Will said, hastily wiping at his eyes. “And I know they probably aren’t but I always feel so useless. Here we are up against the very earth itself, and all I can do is stand on the sidelines and try to keep people from dying. Lee, Michael, they were real leaders, not afraid to march into battle and risk their lives for their siblings. Staying in the infirmary feels like hiding.”

 

Nico was stunned. He never would have guessed that someone like Will would have insecurities like that.

 

Hesitantly, he laid his hand over Will’s.

 

“And how many lives did you save?” he asked quietly. “ _ I _ wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t stopped me from doing something stupid. Isn’t it time that your siblings had a head camper for more than just a year? Sacrificing yourself for the good of others is noble and all, but it can be a selfish decision, too. When someone dies, it’s like throwing a pebble into a pond. It sends out ripples that affects the people around them.” 

 

Nico swallowed hard and blinked, his throat feeling tight. Were tears contagious or something?

 

“When Bianca died I was so  _ angry _ ,” he continued. “At her, at the Hunters and Artemis, at Percy. Even though I knew what she did was right, it wasn’t fair that it meant I had to lose her. I wouldn’t have cared if the world was destroyed, so long as I still had my sister. I was also angry at  _ myself _ . Maybe if I hadn’t been so reliant on her, she wouldn’t have felt like she needed to escape me the first chance she got. I blamed myself more than anyone, for a really long time.”

 

Will shifted his hand to lace his fingers together with Nico’s, lightly squeezing his hand. Nico had to resist the impulse to pull away. This was okay, they were comforting each other, Will wasn’t going to take advantage of his vulnerability to hurt him. 

 

“I think your siblings would rather have you actually still with them, than to have another martyr,” Nico assured him. He vacillated for a moment, biting his lip and staring at the ground. “I know I would rather have you around.”

 

Will coughed and managed a small laugh. “That’s nice to hear. Um. May I hug you?”

 

Nico didn't bother answering, he just sat up and wrapped his arms around Will. 

 

He didn't actually hate being touched. He enjoyed physical affection from Hazel, and had grown to like it from Reyna, too. What he hated was when people felt like they were entitled to touch him. Just because he was small didn't mean people were allowed to just manhandle him, or that he needed to be babied. 

 

In this instance Nico was pretty certain that it was Will who really needed the comfort of a hug right now, and he was willing to provide that. 

 

Will hugged him back tightly, burying his face against Nico's shoulder. Nico awkwardly patted his back. 

 

“You're a good leader and a great healer,” Nico told him. “Not everyone is meant to for the front lines. Your siblings - the whole camp, actually - needs you the way you are. Chiron thinks you're one of the best healers he's ever seen, and that's thousands of years of competition.” 

 

Will laughed again and pulled away, wiping his eyes. “I really don't know why anyone is ever scared of you,” he teased. “Because clearly you're a giant softie.”

 

Nico smiled slightly and lightly shoved Will’s shoulder. “Watch it, or I'll sic my zombie butler on you. I have a reputation to uphold.” 

 

Will sighed, leaning back on his hands. “Thanks, Nico. I really needed to hear that. When the infirmary was full and I was busy I didn't really have any time to dwell on those things. But the moment I got some free time it was like all my thoughts and doubts came crashing down on me.” 

 

“I understand,” Nico said, looking away as he picked at a loose thread on his jeans. “I'm still not convinced anyone wants me here at camp.” 

 

Will caught his eyes with a firm look. “Jason does. I definitely do. I know for a fact none of my siblings hate you. You just have to give people time and the benefit of the doubt. I remember the way you acted after the battle of Manhattan. You were so prickly that no one dared approach you. I know it's easy to blame your problems on other people, but the thing is that you can't change their behavior, you can only change the way you react to it. I’m not saying that no one has ever treated you badly because you’re the son of Hades, but confirmation bias is a hell of a thing. Sometimes you have to do some self-examination and see what it is about  _ yourself  _ that makes people treat you the way they do.” 

 

Nico scowled. While he didn't want to hear it, he knew it was true. He spent so much time convinced that people would hate him for being a Hades kid that he never made an effort to let people actually get to know him. “So much for psychiatry not being your area,” he muttered. 

 

“That's just common sense,” Will said dismissively. “I actually really wanted to talk to you back then. You were just… so cool. But you sort of went around looking like you'd bite off someone's head for even looking at you.”

 

Nico looked away and scratched the back of his head. He’d been so convinced of his own outcast status back then that he never considered that maybe he’d exiled himself. And Will thought he was  _ cool _ ? 

 

“Whoops?” 

 

“I'll just have to spend more time with you now to make up for it,” Will said, winking. 

 

To Nico's horror he felt a blush rise up on his cheeks. He ducked his head to hide his face with his hair. 

 

“Oh, right, why were you looking for me, anyway?” Will asked, sounding much more cheerful now. 

 

“I wanted to ask if the bandages could come off my arms,” Nico admitted, thankful for the change in subject. “They're super itchy and I'm going out of my mind.”

 

Will pouted. “I had hoped you just wanted my company.” 

 

Nico rolled his eyes. “I just spent like, over ten whole minutes with you of my own volition. You have to savor the little victories, Solace.” 

 

“Oh, I am,” Will said, grinning. “I am especially enjoying telling you that you need to keep those bandages on for another three days.”

 

“Kidding, kidding!” he exclaimed quickly, holding up his hands defensively as Nico reached for his sword. “They can come off now. I just have to put this stuff away and I’ll meet you back at the infirmary.”

 

“You’d better,” Nico growled, dusting off his jeans as he stood.

 

Will snickered. “You’re cute when you’re angry, di Angelo,” he called after him.

 

Nico felt his ears burn all the way back to the Big House. 

**Author's Note:**

> I like to think they actually have conversations like this in canon. Will is a young teenager who is basically responsible for countless lives as a physician, how would that weigh on a young kid? Who better to help him process that responsibility than the one person who understands death better than anyone? 
> 
> This ship is really important to me, y'all.


End file.
